Throughout this week honoring Catholic Schools, a great deal of focus has been applied to our current students, families, and employees who make Valley Catholic a great example of Catholic education.  However, a few events this past week have drawn my attention to another very important group, our alumni.

On Wednesday, at the completion of our an all-campus Mass, Valley Catholic School was pleased to name Mrs. Pat Joyaux ’54 as this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner.  Making the presentation of this award an annual event is just one of many efforts being made to connect with our alumni base and presenting it at an all-campus event makes it even more significant.  As I am sure any parent, student, or employee that was in attendance for the brief ceremony honoring Mrs. Joyaux can attest, it was a proud moment to honor such a deserving individual.  Thank you, Mrs. Joyaux, for all that you have done in the past 33 years and continue to do each day on our campus.

A strong, vibrant alumni community can be a tremendous support to our school like ours in many ways.  I know that most people (including some alumni) believe that the only reason to keep in contact with alumni is to hit them up for donations, but the significance of building a strong relationship goes much further. 

With that in mind, I have been working with the Foundation staff to find new and exciting ways to reach out to our alumni community.  In December, we hosted an alumni event during a night of home basketball games for the high school.  The event brought out more than 100 alums from a variety of years, including many former students who had not been on our campus in years. 

This month we will be hosting a wine tasting for alumni.  The event will be held on campus in the new VCEMS building on Sunday, February 26 from 2 – 5 p.m.  Alumni can RSVP here.

A final reason that drew my attention to alumni this week was the news that Shelley Espey ’86 had passed away.  As an alumna, parent of a current high school student, and long-time employee, Shelley was a big part of our community and her presence on our campus will be dearly missed.  Please keep the entire Espey family in your prayers during this difficult time.

I hope that all of our families enjoy this bright, sunny weather over the weekend and that whatever team you are rooting for wins the Super Bowl.  Personally, I will be pulling for the Patriots but probably more interested in the commercials than anything else.

Thank you,

Bob Weber
President
Valley Catholic School

In the months ahead, the Elementary School science fair will be undergoing a bit of a makeover. Beginning this year, our science showcase event will be a celebration of student innovations in science and engineering. We will call this event the “Invention Convention.”

Our Elementary and Middle School science faculty—Sarah Zinzer, June Poling, Stephanie Shields, and Pat Christiansen—have been working on this idea over the past few months. The idea is to provide an avenue for students to practice using science and engineering processes to solve problems encountered in our world. Our Invention Convention will have the added benefit of addressing the state and archdiocesan science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) standards.

The Invention Convention will help students learn to identify a problem, design a solution, test the solution, anticipate and solve problems along the way, and share their findings with the community.

Our faculty and staff are very excited about this change as it will provide our Elementary School students with the opportunity to be more innovative and creative with their projects. The skills developed in this structure will aid the students when they do a full science fair research project as part of the Middle School’s curriculum.

Ms. Zinzer is working on materials she will provide to K-3 families so they can assist their students should they choose to participate. These materials will be ready by mid February. Students in grades 4-5 will work in and outside of class on their Invention Convention projects. Guidance will be provided as part of the fourth and fifth grade science curriculum.

Our Invention Convention will be held on Friday, May 11.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Zinzer.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, a special Mass was attended by all Valley Catholic students— from preK to seniors in high school—to celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  Father John Kerns of St. Juan Diego presided.  After Mass, the Distinguished Alumni Award was given to Pat Roshak Joyaux ’54.  For the full story regarding the award, please click here.

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VCHS teachers and students have been enjoying the challenges of solving the problems posted monthly on the IBM Ponder This website. Advanced Placement Computer Teacher Nick Vigo collaborated on solving several of the puzzles last year, and Math Teachers John Brunecz and Kipp Johnson solved the December puzzle.

Now Mr. Johnson has gone one step further: he has written a puzzle for others to solve. His is the February 2012 puzzle, and it can be seen here.  Challenge your math skills and see if you can solve it!

She was an ’86 graduate, a current Valley Catholic parent (Katrina ’12), and a parent of two alumnae (Adala in ’98 and Nichole in ’09). Shelley had also worked at the SSMO Convent for several years prior to joining SSMO Ministries Corp. in the Finance Dept., where she has worked since 2004. Her most recent position had her stationed in the accounting department at Maryville Nursing Home.

On the same day she died, Shelley’s husband, Dave, wrote a note to her many friends. Below are some excerpts from his letter to them.

Today at 3:05  a.m. we lost one of the kindest people I have ever had the privilege to know. She is my best friend, best mother I have ever seen and loyal friend of all who allowed her to be. She took in all who wanted a mother and loved them like her own. I want to thank all of you who have been praying in earnest for her to be healed. The outcome was not what I wanted but I give God all the praise and glory knowing with total confidence she is now healed and made new in her new home with the Lord.

Plans for memorial services are still pending. When arrangements are made, they will be posted in the News & Events area of www.valleycatholic.org, www.maryvillenh.org, www.ssmo.org and www.ssmofoundation.org. Letters of condolence are being collected at the reception desk at Maryville Nursing Home. Please keep the Espey family in your thoughts and prayers.

Pat Roshak Joyaux with VCS President Bob Weber and SSMO Ministries President Sr. Adele Marie Altenhofen

Submitted by Alumni and Donor Relations Coordinator Grace LeChevallier

This Wednesday during the Catholic Schools Week Mass, VCS President Bob Weber and VCHS Principal Ross Thomas presented the Distinguished Alumni Award to Pat Roshak Joyaux ’54. The gym erupted in applause as students, faculty and guests honored Pat with an extended standing ovation. Pat Joyaux has been at the heart and soul of Valley Catholic Middle and High School for the past 33 years. Her helpful, compassionate spirit has embodied the mission of the Sisters.

A 1954 graduate of St. Mary of the Valley (now Valley Catholic High School), Pat was an active student on campus. Pat was named junior prom princess, and in her senior year was prefect of the Sodality Club (a devotional society for spirituality).

In 1978, Pat became involved in the school’s Alumni Association and learned of the opening for a school secretary. That year Pat was hired and the rest is history. Besides being an alumna herself, Pat’s five daughters all attended Valley Catholic, as well as 15 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

In his remarks about Pat, President Bob Weber said, “She has worked with 10 principals in her time at Valley Catholic, hundreds of teachers and staff members (including me as a 22-year-old first-year teacher in the early 1990′s), and helped thousands of students and parents on a daily basis with everything from report cards to bus fare to simply being a positive, helpful person who knows the answers to all the possible questions that come through her office.”

Pat spoke a few words of appreciation in receiving this award. She spoke highly of the value of Catholic education, and referred to it as a gift. She asked the students to be thankful to all those who make it possible for them to receive the gift of an education at Valley Catholic. Speaking from experience, she told the students that their time at Valley will have a significant impact on their lives.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to individuals who excel and exceed in their life’s work or personal endeavor. In their area of achievement, recipients demonstrate a high standard of personal integrity and strive for excellence to live a valiant life. In the fall of 2008, Mariel Zagunis ’03 was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Mariel is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a world-renown fencing champion. The Distinguished Alumni Award has not been given since 2008, but going forward the award will be presented annually during Catholic Schools Week.

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Registration for CYO track is now open on the CYO/Camp Howard website.  Practices will begin March 12.

This sport is offered to boys and girls in third to eighth grade.  For more information, see the flyer.

Coaches are needed!  Please consider volunteering your time to coach.  Help is needed in all areas: sprints, distance and field events.   Please contact CYO Director Kelly Alfieri if you are interested.  There are some certification requirements, so the sooner the better.

What: SSMO Service Project helping at the Oregon Food Bank West

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 from 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Where: 1870 NW 173rd Ave., Beaverton

Number of slots: 15 volunteers

Sign-up: Permission slip is required; turn in to school office by Feb. 8

First 15 permission slips received will be invited to attend this service event.
Permission slips are available from religion teacher or front office.

With our recent free dress day, we have noticed some violations of our dress code, and we’d like to point them out so all students are in compliance with our dress requirements in the future.

FOR REGULAR UNIFORM DAYS:

• Sweatshirts, cardigan sweaters, vests, and jackets must be purchased from Dennis Uniform and have the school logo. Other clothing, like those purchased at the Patron Store, are not permitted.
• Skirts, skorts, and jumpers must be no shorter than 3 inches above the knee.
• Shoes must have a closed toe and heel—this mean no sandals, clogs, “Crocs,” or other backless slip-ons. No boots or high heels.

FOR FREE DRESS AND FREE DRESS FOR $1 DAYS:

• Students are to come to school in regular street clothes – not party dresses, sweats, or sport uniforms (unless it’s a sports-theme or spirit dress day). Students must bring their P.E. clothes if it’s a P.E. day.
• Spandex, jeggings, or other tight fitting clothing is never allowed.
• Shoes must meet the regular uniform dress rules (see above).
• If students are not in appropriate dress, we may ask them to change into clothes from our uniform closet so they’ll be in compliance.

We’re excited to let you know of two opportunities the school will be providing for parents in the months ahead to build community and gain knowledge about your children and our school.

We will have two nights set aside—one in February and one in April—to bring the parent community together to learn and grow.

Our first parent night will be on Thursday, February 23 at 6:30 p.m., and it will focus on relational aggression and how to help your child respond to bullying or aggression by peers. Jessica Abel, the program director for Girls Inc., will be in our school cafeteria to share information on these topics and to provide helpful tools. Refreshments will be provided. We will also offer a supervised space for your students while you take part in the evening.

Our second parent night will be on Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m., and Fr. John Kerns, pastor of St. Juan Diego Parish, will lead us in an evening that focuses on what it means to be a student and family at a Catholic school. We will also have a couple parents provide testimonials. Refreshments will be provided. Supervision of your students will be provided for this evening as well.

We would love to have you join us as both of these nights are sure to be informational and worthwhile. Please mark your calendars now!

The evening of the Family Mass & Banquet began with a Mass in the Convent Chapel. Thank you to Sr. Denise and the Marian Singers for the beautiful music that accompanied the Mass. The dinner that followed in the Eagles’ Gym was a success due to the wonderful participation of the Elementary School Student Council, Dan Schauffler and the High School Jazz Band, and, of course, all of our parent volunteers. Laura Schultz, the event coordinator, would like to thank you all for attending and making the Family Mass & Banquet a great community event.

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CYO teams will be a part of the festivities on Friday night to conclude our Catholic Schools Week celebration.

At the half times of the varsity games, our CYO teams will send out team representatives from each grade to participate in a knockout competition. Prizes will be awarded for each winner.

Any CYO athlete who wears his or her jersey to the game will be given free admission to the game and a coupon for a hot dog or slice of pizza and a drink.

Valley Catholic will also thank its basketball seniors at the event on “Senior Night.”

Submitted by Lori Anne Anderson for the Charisma

After a three-week hiatus from competition, the Charisma Dancers will be back on the dance floor Saturday, Feb. 4 at Stayton High School. Far from idle, the dancers have spent their practice time since their last competition learning more of their state routine, Ghost of a Girl, and perfecting it.

According to team sources, the Stayton Competition is exciting because many of the best teams from around the state will be there, including several teams that finished in the top two from last year’s state championships and an exhibition performance by the nine-time defending 4A champion Stayton Highlights. Teams travel from as far away as Prineville and the Southern Oregon Coast to compete at Stayton. It’s also the first time this season that the Charisma will go head-to-head with other teams from the 1A/2A/3A division.

“This is a great opportunity for spectators to see a wide variety of teams,” said Coach Jessica Anderson. She also advises, “If you are planning on going to watch, get there early because it’s always a full house. Be sure to sit on the correct side of the gym to see the Charisma from the front. We are the second team to dance both rounds. The dancers have been working very hard and we are hopeful of a strong showing at Stayton.”

Stayton uses the festival judging format so it moves quickly through the 20 teams in attendance. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for first round and at 1:45 p.m. for the second round. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students each round or $10 for an all-day pass.

Update 2/3/12: Another VCHS build-date has been added: Saturday, May 12.  Moms and daughters 14 and older, please contact Mary Donovan to sign up.  Hurry—spots are limited.

Women Build, part of Willamette West Habitat for Humanity is, according to their website, “…not about excluding men; it is about including women. Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program enables women to discover for themselves that they can build Habitat for Humanity homes with NO construction experience necessary!  Women Build brings together women from all walks of life to address the housing crisis facing millions of women and children worldwide. Women Build events have helped to construct more than 1,900 houses.” 

The organization will be holding a fundraiser at Valley Catholic School on Saturday, Feb. 11 to benefit Beaverton’s first ever Women Build, which is located in the Huntting Park neighborhood at SW Hall and Sussex Streets.  The evening will feature Stacy Allison, the first American Woman to Summit Mt. Everest, who will “… inspire you to climb your own mountains with Vision, Focus, Agility and Perseverance.” For more information on this fundraiser, please see the Women Build website or the event flyer.

Valley Catholic School will sponsor a mother/daughter build day at the house on Saturday, May 19th, the weekend after Mother’s Day. There are 12 spots for mothers and daughters (must be at least 14 years old).  See additional information here.  Please contact Mary Donovan to sign up. 

They are also holding build days on Saturdays in February and March to build a playhouse as a raffle item to raise the approximately $60,000 they need to build the house in Beaverton. The Serving Our Community Club at the high school may put together a couple of teams for this project.

We would like to introduce Equipment Across Continents, and tell you how you can all take part in this February clothing drive.

Equipment Across Continents has partnered with Coaches Across Continents to provide new or gently used sports equipment and clothing to children in developing countries all around the world.

In the US there are over 42 million youth athletes who participate in sports each year. But in worldwide, there are over 1.2 billion people living on less than $1 per day that will never be able to buy sports equipment or clothes even though they enjoy it as much as we do.

So here at Valley, we are hoping to gather any old sports equipment or clothing and donate it to Equipment Across Continents.

During the month of February, there will be boxes in each of the schools for donations.

Donations can range from running shoes, cleats, t-shirts, shorts and even equipment such as soccer balls or basketballs.

Starting next week there will be boxes for donations to be collected in, so please help and support all the children who cannot afford the equipment they need to enjoy their favorite sport!

Thanks!

Submitted by VCES Principal Joe Manning

Valley Catholic Elementary School fourth-grade student Ethan Tait took top honors in the 10-year-old division of the Knights of Columbus free-throw contest held at St. Cecilia School last weekend. Congratulations, Ethan! He will now advance to the next round of competition to be held on Feb. 26 at St. Matthew’s. We wish you luck as you represent Valley Catholic!

Welcome to the third quarter. It is hard for me, and I am sure for many of you, to believe that we have entered the second half of the school year. Report cards were sent home with students on Thursday, so please make sure you check backpacks and ask your students to share their report cards with you. Students who had guests at Grandparents & Special Friends Day were also provided a card to send to their guests to thank them for joining them on January 22. Thank you to the SSMO Foundation Staff for their work on these beautiful keepsakes!

I want to take this opportunity to thank both Sr. Denise and parent Laura Schultz who played key roles in coordinating and orchestrating last weekend’s Family Mass and Banquet. It was a terrific evening due to the hard work, dedication, and preparation of both of them. I want to thank them for pouring their hearts into making it a meaningful community event. It was a great way to start Catholic Schools Week.

We enjoyed a variety of activities to celebrate Catholic education and the things that make our school special. One highlight for me was the opportunity to share some information about my former school, St. Malachy School, in South Central Los Angeles. As I told our students about the realities of urban Catholic schools on Monday, using St. Malachy as my example, I was amazed by the insightful reflections shared by our students and the depth of their questioning. The next day, through our Free Dress for $1 Day, we collected nearly $600 to benefit the school. On Wednesday, our students wrote letters to St. Malachy’s students. I look forward to delivering our monetary gift and sharing some information about our school when I visit Los Angeles during spring break.

Finally, as Catholic Schools Week winds to a close, I want to share with you a great reflection on what makes Catholic education special. Please click here to read a short narrative written by one of my former classmates. I hope you will find it to be a thought-provoking and insightful reflection, as it speaks to the core of what we offer in our Catholic schools.

May God’s peace be with you,

Joe Manning
Principal

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Monday
Recess Supervisors: MaryBeth Wolfe, Maria Cober, & Peter James

Tuesday
Early Dismissal – 2:05 p.m.
Recess Supervisors: Natalia Gurhiy, Joanna Beale, & Loc Nguyen

Wednesday
Prayer Service (4F) – Convent Chapel – 9:35 a.m.
Recess Supervisors: Laura Kuhner & Ken Mann

Thursday
Recess Supervisors: Laura Schultz & Venu Meenege

Friday
Applications for New Students Due – School Office – 4 p.m.
Recess Supervisors: Valerie Stecher, Ivo Peev, & Nirusha LeMouel

Saturday
Father-Daughter Dance – 3:30 to 6 p.m. – VCES Cafeteria

The Respect Rallies will be held next Wednesday, Feb. 8 and Thursday, Feb. 9 in the Valiants’ Gym.  Seventh- and eighth-grade students will have their rally on Wednesday from 8 to 11:20 a.m.; the freshmen rally will be on Thursday from 8:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

The Respect Rally is an interactive experience that allows students to work together in order to learn how to make self-respecting choices, create healthy relationships, set and strive for goals, and end cycles of disrespect in their world. This program was originally designed for girls but in recent years was modified to reach out to boys as well. As a result, a group of our teachers and students were trained to be leaders in 2009 by the founders of the Respect Rally. Since then it has become a mainly student-led program.

The past two years we have provided the experience to seventh- through tenth-grade students. This year we will have a rally for the seventh- and eighth-grade students and another one for the freshmen. Another change we made this year (and the reason the sixth-grade students won’t be at the middle school rally) was to host a “rally/retreat” at the sixth-grade Outdoor School. High school students went to Camp Howard the night before and hung out with the sixth-graders, and then led the retreat in the morning, ending it around a reflective bonfire.

The rallies are really meant to teach students awareness. We want to help them realize that there is disrespect all around them and they have the power to put a stop to it, so we teach them skills to recognize and combat this disrespect. My hope is that the rally will help them to care about one another and stop to think before they act in a way that could hurt someone else. I also hope this brings them a sense of self-respect.

Feb. 1, 2012 Update from VCHS Athletic Director >

Submitted by ES and MS Science Teacher Stephanie Shields

Portland State University Science Outreach volunteers spent an afternoon in seventh grade science on Jan. 31. The four volunteers are all part of a science based graduate program at PSU and volunteer at schools in the area. The program is designed to excite students about science. These volunteers were great role models to our students and showed them that they can continually learn science even as adults. The presentation consisted of studying electrons and the relationship to the light spectrum as well as movement of electrons (resulting in static electricity). Overall, the afternoon was very interactive and we are very thankful to our volunteers who gave up their afternoon.

Last Saturday, Jan. 28, 15 middle school students represented Valley Catholic at the BPA Regional Science Bowl. The three teams of five competed valiantly against middle schools from all over Oregon and Southern Washington. This year there were over 400 students competing. Participants from VCS included:

Eighth-graders: Tristan Jong, Austin Ketterer, Max Nepokroeff, Adithya Srikanthan, Iain Byrne, Christopher Douglass, Alex Zdanowicz and Joshua Cheng

Seventh-graders: Lakshya Bakshi, Kunal Bhattacharjee, Raymond Man, Steven Yang and Brandon Baunach

Sixth-graders: Aditya Sharoff and Adelin Alfred

Valley Catholic came close to making the cut into the afternoon round of 16 schools. Despite the loss, the teams were rewarded by a presentation from special guest speaker and NASA Astronaut Stanley G. Love, Ph.D. Dr. Love shared video and stories of his mission aboard Atlantis in 2008. After the presentation, Dr. Love fielded questions from the audience about topics ranging from his scariest moments aboard the International Space Station to how toilets work in space.

If you have questions about life in space, the VCMS Science Bowl team will be happy to share the stories they heard.

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Dr. Love and students from VCMS.

Getting ready for competition.

Athletic forms can be found here. >

All three items must be in the athletic office by Friday, Feb. 24 in order to participate in practices or try-outs on Feb. 27. If you have questions, contact Jeff Gallagher in the athletic office at jgallagher@valleycatholic.org.

The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon and the SSMO Ministries Foundation staff will be hosting Kaffee Klatsches at local parishes throughout the year during the traditional church coffee hours.

In the German tradition, a Kaffee Klatsch is casual gathering for coffee and conversation. This time of connection and conversation is a long-held tradition in the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Community. The Kaffee Klatsches will give the Sisters and the foundation staff an opportunity to express their gratitude for the years of support offered by local parishes and their parishioners and the many ways they have impacted our ministries.

The first Kaffee Klatsch will be held at St. Edward’s Parish Hall in North Plains this Sunday, Feb. 29 after the 9 a.m. Mass.